Linkage connection for digging booms



.Ian. 28, 1930. H. H. BARBER LINKAGE CONNECTION FOR DIGGING BOOMS FiledDec. 29, 1927 '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 28, 1930. H. H. BARBER LINKAGECONNECTION FOR DIGGiNG BOO MS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 29, 1927Patented Jan. 28, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE'F];

HARRY H. BARBER, AURORA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB TO BARBER-GREENE COMPANY, I

. A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS I LINKAGE CONNECTION FOB DIGGING BOOKS Thisinvention relates to a ditching machine and concerns itself primarilywith a bracing-device for supporting the boom in operative position.

It is an obJect of this-invention to provide a normally rigid bracingdevice as low as pos sible for absorbing the thrust of the boom in itsdigging position, with means for modifying said bracing device to renderthe same flexible, in order that the boom may be completely elevated,the bracing device traveling with the boom during its final elevation.

The invention comprises the novel structure and combination of partshereinafter described and more particularly pointed out and defined inthe appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings which il-' lustrate a preferred embodimentof this invention and in, which similar reference nu.- merals refer tosimilar features in the dilferent views: I

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a ditching machine with its boomin working position involving this invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken upon the line II-II ofFigure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the machine showingthe boom in partially elevated position.

' F igure 4 is an enlarged sectional'view taken upon the line IV-.'IV ofFigure 1. As shown on the drawings:

The ditching machine involving this invention embodies a framemountedupon acrawler. The frame "may be. of any approvedconstruction,and it is unnecessary to completely describe the same. Itincludes a pair of lower horizontal members 1,.only one of which isshown, a vertical standard 2, a diagonal strutv 3, an upper horizontalbrace 4 which is respectively connectedby gussets 5 and 6 to thestandard 2 and strut 3. A diag-.

onal strut 7connected with the standard 2 by a gusset 8 is joined to thebracing memher 4.

A normally rigid bracing device for the boom is attached to the frameand extends therefrom. The bracing device is in the form of apolygonalfafiair in contour. It

consists of an angular 'member9 which isrigidly secured at one end tothe gusset 5, and I at its other end to the frame member 1 a member 10which is pivoted to the craw er frame as indicated at 11 adjacent theconnection of the member 9 with the member 1, and a member 12 which-ispivoted at one end as indicated at 13 to gusset 5 secured to the member9 and pivoted at its other end to the member 10, as indicated at 14.This produces a normally rigid bracing device for holding the boom atits work, as will later more fully appear.

The bracing device is adapted to be modified to render the same movable.One way of modifying the bracing device consists in providing onemember-with a breakable joint.

In the present instance, the member 12 is provided with a breakablejoint. It will be noted that this member 12 consists of a lower section12 and an upper section 12", provided with ,a plurality of apertures foradjustment purposes. A pivot 15 connects the section 12 and section 12",which in turn is pivoted to the gusset 5 bythe aforementioned pivot 13.The, sections 12 and 12 are of angular formation and a plate 16 isattached to the section 12 and also pivoted upon the' pivot 13, for apurpose that will later appear. In Figure 1 the bracing device is shownin its normal rigid position, while in Figure 3 it is shown in itsmodified condition. With ref erence to Figure 1, it will be notedthat'the horizontal flange 17 on the bracing member a 12, maintains thesections in alignment.

A boom 18 is slidably connected to the aforedescribed bracing device. Itmight be here mentioned that the polygonal bracing. device is duplicatedupon the op osite side of the boom from that shown in Figs. 1' and 3.This duplication is shown in Figure 2. The boom 18 is box-like incross-section and each side thereof is provided with}: guideway 19,which extends from a point ust above the foot sprocket to a point nearthe center of the boom and the upper'ends of the guideways formabutments. A stud or slide 20 operates in each guideway and forms anabutment when coacting-with the top of the guideway. Each stud 20 iscarried by a; short link. 21

which is pivoted upon the pivot '14. The

forward end of each bracing member 10 is provided with spaced lobes 22,between which the respective studs 20 are located for limited movementupon their respective links.

The upper end of the boom 18 is pivotally connected between a pair ofradius beams 23, which are pivotally connected to the aforementionedstandards 2, only one of which is shown. A suitable sheave 24 on theboom has a hoisting cable 25 wound thereon. This cable passes around asheave 25 on the standard 2 and around a sheave 26 on the frame member7. This hoisting cable constitutes the means for raising and loweringthe boom which operates in a subtsantially vertically plane. IVhile thecross or dumping conveyor and other parts are attached to the boom formovement therewith, they do not cooperate withthis invention and willnot be described. An endless digging chain 27 traverses the boom forvertical digging.

In Figure 1 the boom is shown in its lowered osition, and it will benoted that the boom is supported between the two polygonal bracingdevices by means of the cable 25 whlch is attached to the boom near theupper ends of the guideways, so that the boom is suspended between thetwo bracing 'devlces, which counteract the operating thrust. The threepivot points 11, 13 and 14 of each bracing device, in effect, constituteapices of a triangle, consequently a rigidstructure re sults.

Now when the boom is elevated until the studs 20 engage the bottoms oftheir respective ideways, the boom is still part way in the itch. Inother words, it is only partially elevated. In order .to completelyelevate the boom, it is necessary to disrupt the two polygonal bracingdevices. For this purpose, a cable 28 is connected to each plate 16 onthe section 12 of the bracing members 12, and the other end of eachcable is connected to a staple 29 on the adjacent radius beam 23,consequently, when the radius beams 23 are elevated, a pull will beexerted upon each cable 28, with the result that the bracing members 12will be automatically broken, as shown in Figure 3. Thereafter,

the boom may be completely elevated and the bracing devices, through theengagement of the studs 20 with the bottoms of the ideways, will also beelevated, as shown in igure 3. v If desirable, the bracing de- 'vices 12may be connected by a transverse member 30 to further strengthen thestructure and to cause the two connected parts to move as a unit.

It will be appreciated that according to this invention, the bracingdevices may be located as low as possibleon the crawler frame, in orderto increase their effectiveness.. Normally they are rigid againstmovement in either an n ward or downward direction. However, w en theboom is elevated,

the bracing devices are automatically disrupted for movement with theboom.

I am aware that many changes may be made, and numerous details ofconstruction may be varied through a wide range without departing fromthe principles of this invention, and I, therefore, do not purposelimiting the patent granted hereon, otherwise than necessitated by theprior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a ditching machine, embodying a frame, a movable boom, aconnection between said frame and boom, said connection and boom havingrelative sliding movement, and means actuated by the movement of saidboom for modifying said connection for partaking of the movements of theboom.

2. In a ditching machine, embodying a frame, a movable boom, aconnection between said frame and boom, said connection being normallyimmovable with respect to the frame, and means operated by the-elevationof said boom for modifying said connection for causing the same to moverelative to the frame.

3. In a ditching machine, embodying a frame, a boom, a polygonalconnection between said frame and boom, said boom slidably engaging saidconnection, and a device responsive to the elevation of said boom formodifying said polygonal connection for the purpose set forth.

4. In a ditching machine, embodying a frame, a boom, a connectionextending from said frame and having slidable engagement with said boom,said boom having an abutment adapted for co-action with said connectionafter said boom has been elevated a predetermined distance, and meansresponsive to the elevation of said boom for modifying said connectionfor movement relative to said frame, for causing said abutment toelevate said connection.

5. In a ditching machine, embodying a frame, a movable boom, a polygonalbracing device extending from said frame and having slidable engagementwith said boom, said boom and bracing device having abutments adapted tobe brought into co-acting relation thru elevation of said boom, and aconnection between said bracing device and boom for modifying saidbracing device, whereby said co-acting abutments will cause said bracingdevice and boom to move together.

6. In' a ditching machine, embodying a frame, a connection extendingfrom said frame, a boom having limited slidable engagement with saidconnection, said limited"- slidable engagement bein insufiicient forcomplete elevation of the boom, and means responsive to the elevation ofthe boom for modifying said connection for allowing complete elevationof said boom.

7, In a ditching machine, embodying a frame, a polygonal bracing deviceextending from said frame, a boom having a limited slidable engagementwith said bracing device, said slidable engagement 'being,insufiicientfor complete-elevation of the boom, and a connection between said boomand bracing device for modifying said bracing device for allowingcomplete elevation of the boom.

8. In a ditching machine, embodying a frame, a polygonal bracing deviceextending from said frame, and having a stud, a boom having a guidewaywith a bottom for slidably engaging said stud, a connection between saidboom and bracing device-for modifying said bracing device upon theelevation of the boom-prior to the engagement of said stud with thebottom of the guideway.

9. In a ditching machine, embodying a frame, a pair of'bracing devicesextending from said frame, a boom extending between said bracingdevices'andhaving limited slidable engagement therewith, said slidableengagement being insufficient for complete elevation of the boom, and aconnection between said bracing devices and boom operable by anelevation of said boom for modifying said bracing devices for allowingcomplete elevation of said boom. t

10. In a' ditching machine, embodyinga frame, a pair of parallel andpolygonal bracing devices extending from said .frame, a

boom extending between said bracing devices 4 and having slidableengagement therewith,

and connections between said boom and bracing devices for modifying saidbracing clevices upon the elevation of said boom.

11; In a ditching machine, embodying a frame, a pair of polygonalbracing devices extending from said frame and having studs, a boomhaving guideways with bot-toms extending between said devices, with saidstuds engaging said guideways, and connections be tween said boom andbracing devices for modifying said bracing device upon the elevation ofsaid boom and prior to the en guideways'.

12. In a ditching machine, embodying a frame, a normally rigid bracingdevice extending from said frame, a boom having sliding engagement withsaid bracing device,

agement of said studs with the bottom of said,

frame, a normally rigid polygonal bracing device extending from'saidframe, a boom having a slidable engagement with said device, saidslidable engagement being insuflicient for complete elevation oftheboom, one member of said polygonal bracing device having a breakablejoint for rendering said device movable for complete elevation of theboom.

15. In a ditching machine, embodying a frame, a normally rigid polygonalbracing;

device extending from said frame, a boom having a limited slidingmovement with respect to said bracing device, said polygonal bracingdevice having a member with a breakable joint, and said boom and bracingdevice having co-acting parts at the limits of said sliding engagementwhereby said device will partake ,of the movements of said boom during apredetermined period.

16. In a ditching machine, embodying .a 7

frame, a triangular bracing device extending from said frame, a boomhaving slidable engagement with said device, said boom and device havingco-acting abutments adapted for co-action upon the elevation of theboom,-

said triangular bracing device including a member with a breakable jointwhereby said device may be rendered movable for movement with said boom.17. In a ditching machine, embodying a frame, a bracing device includinga member I In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

. HARRY H. BARBER.

